6 cell or 9 cell or both for m1330

I just ordered an m1330 with a 6 cell battery and I'm wondering if I should call up and ask them to add a 9 cell to the order.

Here's my situation: I'm planning on having this be my only computer, so it will get a lot of use. From what I'm hearing the 6 cell will give me about 2 hours and the 9 cell 3 hours. Mostly I would leave it plugged in at home with a battery installed in place of a UPS.

It seems the usual advice is to just get a 9 cell, but not to buy more than one battery since the lithium ion batteries deteriorate over time.

I was just looking at prices and the new 9 cell costs $186!

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...7&cs=19&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=25682&lid=585550

but when I was configuring my laptop it looked like I could add a 9 cell for only $80. And given that I used the 10% and 12% discounts my cost would be about $63 for the 9 cell if I buy it with the laptop. That's about 1/3 the cost of the standalone 9 cell!

Also I figure since I'll keep one battery (likely the 6 cell) plugged into the laptop while mains-powered, the extra charging cycles will probably fry that battery long before my 4 year warranty is up, staggering the deterioration of the batteries.

My usage will be likely about 80% plugged in home use, and 20% use in cafes and various untethered locations (where every so often I will want more than 2-3 hours untethered). I am considering bringing it on a multimonth backpacking travel trip with the 6 cell.

Should I call and tell them to add a 9 cell onto my order?

 

They will have to cancel and reorder. Hopefully you will be able to still get the same deal as you had originally.

 

definitely yes. However, as nizzy said, you'd have to cancel your order, then order again to do that.

 

I'm guessing that's $80 over the price of the "default" battery, which is the 6-cell. I can't help you in terms of the pricing schemes and all I can say is that I bought a 6-cell after the fact for €90 (USD 135). I noted on Dell's U.S. website that the 6-cell goes for $139.99 so that sounds about right.

As I own both batteries, I can tell you this: the 6-cell makes the M1330 MUCH MORE portable, not only in terms of weight, but size, too. The 9-cell takes up a lot of space, and it's even noticable when you have the Notebook in Dell's supplied sleeve. Unless you plan on watching DVDs on the go, I would say the 6-cell is more than enough for your limited on-the-go use (which makes my wonder why you took the M1330 and not the M1530 or any or 15" for that matter...).

Please do note however that the M1330 actually runs cooler with the 9-cell battery in place...! I think at load you can see a 3-4C difference when using the two batteries - simply because of the elevation the 9-cell gives the M1330. Is this important to you? That depends on if you plan to do any gaming or lots of video editing or constant [audio] ripping, etc. The M1330 runs really hot right out of the box and those 3-4C can make a difference if you're constantly taxing the thing.

There's no reason why you couldn't simulate the elevation or buy yourself a Notebook "cooler", but just be warned, the ventelation with the 6-cell is "just" enough for the standard Notebook user (imho).

Edit: P.S. afaik, you can't order both via the online order system. You have to oder your Notebook with one of the two batt. and order the second one separately...

 

I ordered both, worked fine for me.

 

You can definitely order both. The 6 cell is great for most things other than long flights ... also if you use on your lap a lot the cooler 9 cell will be useful. Always a good idea to get battery optionality when you buy your system.. batteries are much more expensive later...

 

if in doubt, get both. if in 3mos, you're not using one, ebay it. you'll probably breakeven.

btw, you can get 4hrs runtime on the 9 cell.

 

I would definitely get both. I got the 4-cell (wish I got the 6-cell though...too late now) and the 9-cell. I use 9-cell at home for because it gives you a lot more time. But, I use the 4-cell when I take it places because it makes the laptop lighter and less bulky.

Like you said, it doesn't add much more in terms of cost, so you may as well get it. Hopefully you don't need to cancel and re-order. But, judging from the posts of others, it may the case.

In terms of battery life, I have a different experience from what others are saying. My 4-cell gives me a tad over 2 hours and the 9 cell gives me 6. I don't do any type of gaming though. Maybe that makes a difference?

 

I still find it hard to believe that an extra 9-cell runs only $80. How much did you pay for your extra 9-cell and did you (also) order it as part of your M1330 build?